


The Funeral

by hannahfanficrobron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Family, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-29
Updated: 2016-05-29
Packaged: 2018-07-11 00:06:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7014190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahfanficrobron/pseuds/hannahfanficrobron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How I could possibly see Gordon's funeral going, from the spoilers we've been given so far. But probably with a bit less drama than we're going to get on screen! One shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Funeral

“Liv’s not at school,” Chas said lowly from behind the bar in the pub, putting the phone down. Robert looked at her and they both knew exactly where she’d be. It was Gordon’s funeral today, and it isn’t like she didn’t have previous for absconding from school.

“I’ll handle it,” Robert said, feeling in his jacket pocket to make sure his car keys were there.

“Tell Aaron,” Chas said, a definite note of warning in her voice. “He’ll want to know.” Robert nodded as he left, showing he’d heard her, but he had to tell Aaron anyway. After hiding the letter and Aaron feeling that Robert was being controlling over Gordon’s money, he couldn’t not tell him.

He drove up to the scrap yard, glad to see Aaron’s car still there. Robert wouldn’t have put it past Chas to call him first before he got there, and Aaron would tear off at top speed, probably driving dangerously too.

He opened the door to the portacabin, and found Aaron behind his desk. “Get in the car,” he said in greeting.

“Er, I’m a bit busy here,” Aaron said blankly, looking at his desk.

“Liv’s not at school. I think we both know where she is.” Aaron’s face paled and he sighed, looking at the roof of the cabin for a moment, as if begging for guidance.

“Adam?” he said quietly.

“Yep,” his friend said easily, knowing that Aaron would want him to take over.

“Where’re my keys?” Aaron muttered.

“I’m driving,” Robert said firmly.

“Robert…”

“Come on,” he said, not taking no for an answer. At the very least he’d be distracted and Robert didn’t want that when driving. Aaron followed him, not complaining and got into the passenger seat.

“She said she didn’t want to go,” Aaron muttered as Robert drove off.

“I’m guessing she said that because she knew you didn’t want to go today,” Robert said. “Do me a favour, text your mum. Let her know you’re okay.” Robert needed Chas to know that he’d told Aaron the truth, rather than hiding things from him. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, perfect,” Aaron said sarcastically. “The one place in the world I don’t want to be anywhere near, and I have to go.”

“You don’t have to,” Robert said. “I’ll go and look out for her.”

“Just keep driving,” Aaron said before lapsing into silence.

* * *

 

“Maybe this is too hard,” Aaron said eventually, thinking things over in the silence of the car.

“What is?” Robert asked, not following.

“Looking after Liv,” Aaron said. “She doesn’t want to be here, maybe I should send her back to her mums.”

“You can’t do that, Aaron,” he said.

“Why not?” he asked, frowning. “You don’t even like her.”

“It’s not that I don’t like her,” Robert said. “I don’t like that she’s taking up all your time when I just want to be alone with you.” Aaron caught his eyes for a moment, unused to hearing things like that. Especially from Robert. “And anyway, even if I could stand her, she’s your family, you can’t just kick her out.”

"You really want her around?" Aaron asked.

"She's family," Robert repeated.

“She just seems to cause so much trouble wherever she goes,” Aaron said, almost as if speaking to himself.

“Yeah, well that’s what little sisters are there for,” Robert said darkly.

“I’m sure Vic wasn’t this bad,” Aaron said.

“Yeah, because I was really easy to live with as a teenager,” Robert said sarcastically, earning a slight smile from Aaron. They were quiet until they pulled up outside the church.

“I can’t go in there,” Aaron said, looking out of the windscreen to the building. “I can’t…”

“You don’t have to,” Robert said. He reached across the seat and took Aaron’s hand in his, pleased when Aaron squeezed back lightly.

“Course I do, Liv’s in there all alone.” Aaron shook his head to himself.

“She won’t be alone, I’ll go with her.” Aaron looked at him in surprise.

“You think this funeral’s a waste of time,” Aaron said. “And Liv doesn’t like you. You don’t want to go in there.”

“No, I don’t,” Robert said honestly. “But of course I will… for you. I’d do most things for you, Aaron.” Aaron looked at him intensely, seeing that that really could be true. After considering for a moment, he nodded. Robert leant across the seat and gave him a brief reassuring kiss before getting out of the car. Aaron leaned his elbow against the car window, hand rubbing his forehead in agitation as Robert approached the church. He didn’t even get to the door before a voice from around the corner caught his attention.

“I wondered who’d follow me,” Liv said.

“Stop skipping school, Liv,” Robert said walking up to her, though his voice was light.

“It’s my dad’s funeral,” she said, scowling.

“I know,” he said. “Are you going to go in?”

“Is Aaron…?”

“He’s in the car,” Robert said. “He can’t face it. Please, Liv… don’t ask him to.”

“I won’t,” she said after a moment and Robert felt himself relax. “I know he doesn’t want to be here. But I have to be.”

“I know, I get it.”

“No, you haven’t got a clue.”

“My father’s dead,” he said quietly. “We… didn’t get on very well most of the time.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“Because I didn’t want what he wanted for me,” Robert said, not wanting to get into details about it. Even after all these years, thinking of his father was still painful. “He wanted a son to take over the farm, be happy working the land for the rest of his life.

Liv scoffed. “Really can’t see you doing that!”

“No,” Robert said, smiling a little. “He wanted a son like Andy. He never really wanted me. I… did something and my father sent me away, out of Emmerdale. I never saw him again.”

“What happened?” Liv asked, and Robert could tell she was genuinely curious.

“He died. I came back to the village for his funeral but… I couldn’t face it. I… couldn’t face my family. They hated me and I didn’t want to make things worse. Maybe I was being a bit of a coward too. I just… hid like a thief.”

“Do you regret not going?” she asked

“No,” he said instantly. “Andy and I would have got into a fight and none of us needed that. I do regret never making things right with him though.” Liv had no idea what to say to that, and after a moment she nodded in the direction of the church.

“Shall we get this over with then?” Robert nodded and followed Liv into the church.

* * *

 

Robert hated himself for being sat here, and the longer the service went on, the more visceral his reaction. He shouldn’t be here, pretending grief for that rapist. The effect it’d had on Aaron would probably never leave him. Robert saw it in his eyes when he was dwelling on it. Aaron still sometimes shied away from his touch, not often, but it never failed to make Robert feel sick at the reason why Aaron had to pull away.

“D’you want to go?” Liv said under her breath.

“No,” Robert lied. He wouldn’t leave her alone. If nothing else, Aaron would never forgive him.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said, shrugging a couple of minutes later. “I don’t need to be here for this.”

“Are you sure?” Robert asked. “Don’t want you to regret it further down the line.”

She shrugged and tilted her head to the door of the church. “Let’s go.” She got up, walking out and Robert followed her, a hand briefly on her shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Robert asked kindly.

“Yeah, she said, smiling at him. ”Thanks.” Robert was very surprised to find Liv giving him a very brief hug. And pleased.

When they got to the car, they were both surprised to see Aaron dozing. Robert smiled, opening the drivers door which disturbed him.

“Wasn’t sleeping,” he said, as he jerked awake.

“Yeah, you were,” Liv said, teasing him as she got into the back of the car.

“You all right Liv?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, tiredly. “Let’s go home.”


End file.
